The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
President Trump said on Sept. 22 that the coronavirus death toll surpassing 200,000 in the United States was a “horrible thing." (Video: The Washington Post)

Trump calls 200,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S. ‘a shame’

The coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 200,000 on Tuesday, marking another milestone of loss at a time when many have become numb to the rising fatality count. The tally represents the upper boundary of a fatality range that President Trump in March said would signal that his administration had “done a very good job” of protecting Americans from the coronavirus.  
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A forecast released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington this month predicted that U.S. fatalities could reach 410,000 by the end of the year.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected as soon as this week to spell out a new standard for an emergency authorization of a coronavirus vaccine that will make it exceedingly difficult for any vaccine to be cleared before Election Day.
The novel coronavirus is spreading at dangerous rates in many states as autumn arrives and colder weather — traditionally congenial to viruses — begins to settle across the nation, public health data shows.
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the nation’s “divisive state” is hindering consistent messaging during the coronavirus pandemic.
A $1 billion fund Congress gave the Pentagon in March to build up the country’s supplies of medical equipment has instead been mostly funneled to defense contractors and used for making things such as jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain has reached a “perilous turning point” in the pandemic as he introduced new curfews on pubs and restaurants and encouraged remote working — measures that could remain in place for six months.
Trump lashed out at China in prerecorded remarks played at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, claiming officials allowed the virus to “leave China and infect the world.” He called on the United Nations to hold the country “accountable for its actions.”
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A forecast released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington this month predicted that U.S. fatalities could reach 410,000 by the end of the year.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected as soon as this week to spell out a new standard for an emergency authorization of a coronavirus vaccine that will make it exceedingly difficult for any vaccine to be cleared before Election Day.
The novel coronavirus is spreading at dangerous rates in many states as autumn arrives and colder weather — traditionally congenial to viruses — begins to settle across the nation, public health data shows.
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the nation’s “divisive state” is hindering consistent messaging during the coronavirus pandemic.
A $1 billion fund Congress gave the Pentagon in March to build up the country’s supplies of medical equipment has instead been mostly funneled to defense contractors and used for making things such as jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain has reached a “perilous turning point” in the pandemic as he introduced new curfews on pubs and restaurants and encouraged remote working — measures that could remain in place for six months.
Trump lashed out at China in prerecorded remarks played at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, claiming officials allowed the virus to “leave China and infect the world.” He called on the United Nations to hold the country “accountable for its actions.”
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